Ontario security guard licensing
The first aid certificate you need for an Ontario security guard licence
The certification you need
Basic First Aid & CPR
The licensing regulation names the Emergency-level certificate, now called Basic. Intermediate is not the licensing requirement, whatever anyone tries to sell you.
This is one of the few first aid requirements in Ontario written directly into a regulation, and it is worth reading carefully, because the course it names is the cheaper one and a lot of people are sold the more expensive one.
If you are taking the Ontario licensing test, O. Reg. 26/10 s. 2(1)(a.1) requires you to give the test administrator a valid first aid certificate before you write it. The level it names is the one now called Basic First Aid, and it accepts a St. John Ambulance certificate "or its equivalent".
Requirements change and can vary by employer, site and role, so always confirm what yours asks for before booking. Not sure? Call us at 705-985-3478 or send us a message, and we’ll work it out with you.
Your course
Basic First Aid & CPR
Basic First Aid & CPR is the level the licensing regulation names. You choose your CPR level when you book, and there is a note below on which to pick.
Price
$99 + HST
Online at home
3 hours
In class with us
4 hours
CPR level
CPR-A or CPR-C
What does CPR-A or CPR-C mean? The three CPR levels, and who each one is for.
The online part is required and must be finished before your in-class day.
Pick a date and book
Booking is subject to our course policies: refunds, date changes, photo ID and what to bring on the day.
What the requirement actually says
- The certificate is a gate on writing the ministry test. You hand it to the test administrator before the test, not to the ministry with your licence application.
- "Or its equivalent" means a certificate from a WSIB-approved training provider satisfies it. You are not required to train with St. John Ambulance.
- The regulation does not name a CPR level. The ministry's Training Syllabus, which governs the first aid module inside the 40-hour basic training course, sets its floor at one-rescuer adult CPR, which is CPR-A. Many agencies and sites expect CPR-C anyway, so CPR-C is the safer practical choice; just be clear that it is your employer asking, not the regulation.
- A CPR-only certificate does not satisfy the requirement. The regulation asks for a first aid certificate.
- You do not need first aid to renew a guard licence. Section 4 lets a licensee renew, or be issued a new licence, without meeting the s. 2(1) requirements again. Limited transition exceptions in s. 5 apply to some long-lapsed licences, so check with the ministry if yours has been inactive since 2010 or 2015.
- If you already hold a permanent security guard licence from another Canadian province or territory issued on the strength of a test, s. 2(6) exempts you from these requirements entirely.
- If you already hold a valid certificate you can opt out of the first aid portion of guard training, taking the shorter course. Private investigator licensing has no first aid requirement at all.
Source: O. Reg. 26/10 (Training and Testing) s. 2(1)(a.1), made under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005. The renewal relief is s. 4; limited transition exceptions are in s. 5; the out-of-province exemption is s. 2(6).
Check it yourself
- O. Reg. 26/10: Training and Testing (PSISA), s. 2(1)(a.1) is the first aid clause; s. 4 is the renewal relief
- Ministry Training Syllabus for Security Guards: Section 12, the emergency-level first aid module and its CPR floor
- Ontario.ca: Security guard and private investigator basic training, the opt-out if you already hold a certificate
- WSIB: Find your first aid training provider
You are probably being sold the wrong course
The most common error in this industry (repeated by training companies and some agencies) is that Intermediate First Aid is the licensing requirement. It is not. The regulation names the lower level, now Basic First Aid. Intermediate only enters the picture through your employer's separate workplace duty under Regulation 1101, which applies once more than five workers are on a shift at a place of employment. That is a real obligation, but it sits on the employer and it is not part of your licence. The second common error is believing you must re-certify first aid to renew your guard licence. Section 4 says otherwise.
Security guards: common questions
Do I need Standard (Intermediate) First Aid for my guard licence?
No. The licensing regulation names the Emergency-level certificate, now called Basic First Aid. If an employer or a site contract asks you for Intermediate, that is their requirement and it is a legitimate one, but it is not what the licence needs, and nobody should tell you otherwise to sell you a longer course.
Which CPR level should I choose?
The regulation names no CPR level. The ministry syllabus floor is adult one-rescuer CPR, which is CPR-A. In practice a lot of agencies, malls, hospitals and event sites expect CPR-C, and CPR-C costs the same with us. If nobody has told you which, take CPR-C.
Do I need to renew my first aid to renew my licence?
Not for the licence itself. O. Reg. 26/10 s. 4 lets you renew without meeting the first aid requirement again. You may still need a current certificate for your employer, or because your workplace has a duty under Regulation 1101. Check with your agency before assuming either way.
My certificate says "Basic First Aid" but the regulation uses an older name. Is that a problem?
They are the same level. The WSIB adopted the name Basic First Aid on 22 June 2026 under CSA Z1210:24, and treats it as equivalent to the certificate the regulation names. The regulation and the ministry syllabus were both still using the older wording at the time of writing, so if a test administrator queries it, point them at the WSIB's own statement of the equivalence. If you want to be certain before you book, call us and we will talk it through.
Training more than one person?
We’ll run the course at your site on a date that suits your operation, or host your group at our Barrie centre. Group pricing starts at six people, and a smaller group is welcome at that rate. One invoice for the lot.